In the Air – Art+Auction's Gossip Column

Slightly Bigger Version of Beloved Giant Duck Sculpture Finds Permanent Home in Taiwan

Hong Kong had its turn, and now Beijing is bursting with anticipation, but Taiwan has won 2013’s “Rubber Duck” sweepstakes, landing a new and five feet bigger version of the beloved Florentijn Hofman inflatable, floating sculpture that will be permanently installed in the harbor of Keelung — a port city just northeast of Taipei — in December, the Telegraph reports.

Keelung city counselor Huang Jing-tai signed a contract with Hofman for the artist to create a 59-foot version of the well-loved waterfowl specifically for the city, which hopes it will spur tourism, the AFP reports. In anticipation of the big duck’s arrival, a Facebook page was set up welcoming it to Taiwan.

During its run in Hong Kong Hofman’s giant public artwork sparked no small amount of controversy, with real estate agents co-opting its image to sell houses, and the Chinese government even banning internet searches for “yellow duck” around the time of the Tiananmen Square protests’ anniversary, all the while lauding the artwork as a representation of “humanity’s shared culture and childhood memories.”